The free talk, “A Sense of Belonging: The Future of the American Orchestra,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Steve & Judy Turner Recital Hall, 2400 Blakemore Ave., Nashville, TN 37212.

In recent decades, classical music has struggled to sustain new audiences. But during Bergauer’s five-year tenure as executive director of the California Symphony in Walnut Creek, the organization doubled its audience and nearly quadrupled its donor base while delivering surplus budgets to better fund the art and the mission.

In her Vanderbilt talk, Bergauer will share the three pillars of the California Symphony’s success: listening to user experience research, designing for customer loyalty and focusing on diversity.

“This success story will inspire anyone invested in the long-term sustainability of the performing arts.”–Douglas Shadle

Douglas Shadle (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt)

“Aubrey Bergauer’s leadership strategies led to extraordinary organizational transformation and unprecedented revenue growth,” said Douglas Shadle, associate professor of musicology and department chair. “This success story will inspire anyone invested in the long-term sustainability of the performing arts, because it shows how 21st-century solutions can help communities fall in love with classical music.”

Bergauer has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as a “dynamic and innovative administrator” and praised by the Wall Street Journal for leadership that “points the way to a new style of audience outreach.”